Caregiving

Events to Provide Resources, Insight on Caring for Family Members

July 20, 2012|Comments: 0

The number of Hawaii residents age 65 and older is projected to grow by 78 percent over the next 20 years, as demand for caregiver services skyrockets and our population ages. But when the time comes, how many of us will be ready to cope with the dizzying array of health, financial, legal and logistical issues that caregiving entails?

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AARP Hawaii is sponsoring a series of caregiving events on Oahu in October and November aimed at providing residents with information and resources to help them care for older friends and family members.

Titled “Caring for Family and Caring for Yourself,” the events cover a range of issues – from deciding whether to care for a loved one at home or in a facility, to paying for care, legal issues, family dynamics, staying mentally sharp, and much more. For more information, and to register for one or all of these free events, go online or call 1-877-926-8300.

Kailua – Saturday, October 6 (8:30 a.m. – noon) at Faith Baptist Church – will include sessions ranging from legal issues, community resources, spiritual issues, physical activity, and family dynamics.

Waipahu – Saturday, November 10 (8:30 a.m. – noon) at the Filipino Community Center – will be a hybrid event with one room devoted to family dynamics and legal issues in caregiving, and another room devoted to caring for yourself – including spiritual aspects of caregiving/life balance, brain health, and managing diabetes.

Honolulu – Wednesday, November 14 (8:30 a.m. – noon) at the Ala Moana Hotel – will focus on the nuts and bolts of caregiving, such as deciding whether to give care at home or in a facility, community resources for caring at home, and financing care.

According to a recent report by the AARP Public Policy Institute, there are 247,000 family caregivers on any given day in Hawaii, who provide unpaid care valued at $1.9 billion annually.

The ‘typical’ caregiver is a 46-year-old woman who gives more than 20 hours a week in unpaid care. Together, caregivers provide the majority of home and community based services to friends and family members of all ages with disabilities.

AARP is a membership organization for people age 50 and older with nearly 150,000 members in Hawaii. We champion access to affordable, quality health care for all generations, provide the tools needed to save for retirement, and serve as a reliable information source on issues critical to older Americans.